Today’s Guest at Wordsmith’s Key is Aileen Erin!
Aileen has five novels published through Ink
Monster (http://inkmonster.net/) and more
coming soon.
Below she has
answered questions relating to her:
- personal & professional life,
- writing/editing & web presence tips,
- and of course a shameless plug. (Shameless because in order to get your writing out there in the world you have to talk about it with everyone).
Personal Questions
If you ever suddenly made plenty of money what would
you do?
Put it all in savings and keep writing! I know, I
know. Most people would say they’d quit their day jobs and follow their dreams.
But if I’m writing, I’m already doing that. So, I get to just keep doing that.
Maybe I’d go write in a fun location. Stay for a couple of months in a castle
in Ireland while I write a fantasy book or something. But writing is my
passion. So, if I manage to win the publishing lotto, I’d just keep writing.
How much of your life goes into your books?
Every character I write has a little bit of me in
them. For example, in the Alpha Girl series, Tessa has my love of electronic
music and romance novels, Meredith has my love of crazy hair colors, Claudia
has my love of classical music and classic books, and Chris has my love of art.
But as for how much of my actual life is it in the books—none of it. Thank God!
There are no crazy witches coming after me. I’ve never had a vampire attack or
bite me. And—unfortunately—I can’t shift into a werewolf. Reality bites
sometimes. ;)
Recent Favorite Book
This is a hard one because I read so many books. I’m a book a day reader! But I just finished The Leveller by Julia Durango, and thought it was a really fun read. I was hooked in from the beginning. It’s about a not-too distant future where video games are so immersive that you go comatose while playing. Nixy is a leveller—meaning she goes in and finds kids her age whose parents want them to stop playing the game and kicks them out of the virtual world. Pretty neat! Really dug all the gaming stuff, and Nixy was a strong female protagonist—which is essential for me.
[The Leveller by Julia Durango: http://juliadurangobooks.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-leveller.html ]
Professional Questions
What was the best thing you ever did to get published?
Decide to do it on my own. Okay, so I know that’s not
the usual route, but starting my own publishing company was the best decision I
ever made. I knew if I went the traditional route I’d make very little money—if
any—for years. So, after graduating with my Master of Fine Arts in Writing
Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, I did the opposite of what I was
supposed to do. I never sent a query anywhere. I never submitted chapters or my
manuscript. I didn’t contact any agents or editors. Crazy, right?! But I’d been
researching the business of writing and publishing for years, so I took my
career into my own hands. Since then, Ink Monster—the publishing company that I
co-own with fellow author Christina Bauer—has moved a combined 500K+ books. I’m
cool with those numbers. ;)
[Seton Hill University: http://www.setonhill.edu/academics/graduate_programs/fiction]
What was the hardest thing about getting published?
Since I didn’t go the traditional route, the hardest thing
is to keep all the publishing balls in the air while writing. I have to split
my days—mornings for publishing work and afternoons for writing. Being the
publisher and the author means much more work. But the reward of having control
over my career is more than worth it.
Tips for Writing
What is the number one thing that keeps you writing?
Having a deadline. So many distractions can get in the
way of writing, but if there’s a deadline, I don’t like missing it. So, I’ll do
anything to hit my word count goal in order to make sure that doesn’t happen!
What gets in the way of writing?
Literally anything—from family to a good book to
social media and marketing my books.
What is the easiest part to write?
The first act! I love writing a first act. The second
act is usual a bear to get through. Then, the third act usually comes quickly.
But I love setting everything up. I love a new idea and a new book. Everything
is all fresh and new and shiny. It’s my favorite part to write.
What is the hardest part to write?
The second act. It’s as long as the first and third acts
combined, and can be the trickiest. It’s where all of the “work” of the story
gets done. First act is fun because it’s setting up the book, and the third is
just the climax and wrapping everything up. But the second…it can be a slog
sometimes.
Tips for Editing
Weirdest advice you’ve ever heard?
I don’t know about weird, but I know some people who
edit with all kinds of crazy systems involving multiple colors of highlighters,
post-it notes, and scissors. The idea of doing all that makes my brain hurt. I
send my chapters to my editor every week, and revise each one per her notes.
Much easier and no highlighters involved.
Most useful thing you’ve heard?
You’re not writing in stone. Everything can be
polished and made better. I learned that in a general writing class in my
undergrad. It was the first time I realized what revision and editing was. She
would give us a grade on our first draft; one that would change as we revised. She
would give a ton of notes to help us turn that grade into an A. The first paper
I turned in came back with a C. I’d never gotten a C on anything before. I
nearly flipped! But then she explained revision to me, and I turned it into an
A. Seeing the grade change in such a significant way really fueled my love for
editing. Now, I don’t mind writing a shitty first draft, because I know I’ll
only improve it from there. It’s just something to get me started so that I can
start polishing and make it shine.
Tips for Web Presence
How much web presence do you think is necessary (how
much do you do)?
A lot. Unfortunately. This is why I spend half my day
on publishing stuff. Readers really want to know you as a person. Not just what
you’re writing or when your book is on sale—they want to know YOU. What are you
doing today? What’s for lunch? It seems silly, but it’s true! I recently did a
photo-a-day challenge, and had a reader reach out and say, “I have
thoroughly enjoyed seeing your posts daily. I feel like I know you as a person,
not just an author and makes reading your books all the better!” I feel like that sums it up pretty nicely. Knowing
you—as a person—makes them like your books more. Crazy, but true! So, over the
past few months, I’ve been making more of an effort to reach out and talk about
my daily life. Hopefully, it keeps readers more engaged! Fingers crossed!
What are the three most important things to do?
- Be consistent.
- You don’t want to disappear for three months, and then post every day for a week. You want to stay consistent with when you post. It doesn’t have to be every day, but it should be at least a few times a week.
- Be honest.
- You have to be true to yourself. You don’t want to lie about who you are or what you like/dislike. The truth will shine through. So, be honest about who you are, and trust that readers will like you for you.
- Only use tools that you feel comfortable with.
- If you don’t like twitter, don’t use it. If you like Instagram, use that. You have to find what works for you. And then be consistent and honest.
What is the most important thing not to do?
Don’t ever, Ever, EVER respond to negative reviews.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If they don’t like your book—even if
they turn it into a personal attack—don’t engage. It never goes well, and you
always end up looking bad. I’ve seen a number of authors—even very famous
ones—do this, and it’s just always a train wreck. Stay far, far away from your
negative reviews. Just take heart in the positive ones and turn a blind eye to
the rest. Keep going. You’re not writing for the people who don’t like your
book. You’re writing for the people who love your book.
Shameless Plug Time!
What would you like to talk to us about?
The final book in this arc of the Alpha Girl series,
Alpha Unleashed, is coming out September 29th! Tessa will be back,
but I’m taking a wee break to write something in a new series (more on this
when I have a cover finalized) after Alpha Unleashed. But I’m super excited for
what’s in store for Tessa and Dastien. I think readers will be happy with where
this series arc will end. ;) ;)
If you haven’t read it, there are four other books in
the series. They’ll be on sale the month of September, so you can catch up
before Alpha Unleashed comes out!
[For more on Aileen's books: http://inkmonster.net/authors/aerin]
Thanks so much for visiting Aileen! I’ve added your next release to my calendar so I don’t miss it.
If you want to ask
questions of upcoming guests fill out a quick form at: http://www.wordsmithskey.com/survival-guide.html
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